​The ​​Field Guide to the North American Teenager is a great book that teaches you about first impressions. It is written by Ben Philippe, a Black French Canadian just like Norris Kaplan, the main character. This book is a must-read because Norris is very admirable. He may start out in this new city with no one he knows, but he develops an understanding for the city and its people. Most people in the world take a first impression and stick with it for their life, but Norris gave Austin, Texas a second chance. This makes him admirable, and a role model. After reading this book, you can take away from it that second chances are sometimes beneficial. If a first impression fails, maybe they were just having a bad day, or maybe they had gotten some medication that messed with their minds a little. So sometimes, a second chance is the best thing you can do. You can meet this wonderful person, or maybe discover they are just bad in general. Either way, you get a definite answer from them. I think this book will be a window for most people, since you might discover that moving away isn't so bad, or that second chances are beneficial. It can show you a positive way of living, and you can learn some new things and lessons. I really loved this book because Norris learned to like something he hated, which is very inspirational. So if you want to read a book that will teach you new things or just plain entertain you, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is the perfect book for you.

This book review was part of the Battle of the Books competition.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is available at the Nepean High School library.